Makeready



Oct. 26, 1965 M. G. TOMAK 3,213,767

MAKEREADY Original Filed Sept. 2. 1960 21 1916)3 20 22 mm INVENTOR MICHAEL G. TOMAK FIG. 3

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,213,767 MAKEREADY Michael G. Tomak, Battle Creek, Mich., assignor to General Foods Corporation, White 'Plains, N.Y., a corpora. tion of Delaware Continuation of application Ser. No. 53,649, Sept. 2, 1960. This application July 20, 1964, Ser. No. 389,510

13 Claims. (CI. 93-58) This application is a continuation of a prior application by the same inventor and having .the same title, bearing Serial No. 53,649 and filed September 2, 1960 and now abandoned.

This invention relates to the art of forming score lines or creases in carton material. More particularly, it concer-ns a makeready or female die part which forms a stationary member against which a male die part presses carton material to .form creases or score lines in the material.

It has been found to be of a great importance to provide well-formed scores in carton blanks so that panels of the blanks can be assembled to form cartons which are uniform in dimension and attractive in appearance. Inadequate scores prevent such folding, because the carton material tends to resist the folding that takes place in an assemblying operation. In many instances in adequate scores will cause jamming of automatic cartoning machinery. For example, if the scoring is not precisely the same in all cartons of a large number which pass through cartoning machinery, the flaps of the carton blanks that are to be glued together will not be properly positioned with respect to each other for all carton blanks which pass through the machine. Such improper positioning will result in glue which is not covered by a flap or in a flap which extendsbeyond the glued portion of its cooperating flap and thus tends to separate from that flap.

In addition to structural and functional defects in cartons which have improperly formed score lines, the effect of such inadequate scores is to cause cracking on the outside of the score, i.e., in the outermost ply of the paperboard used to form the carton or in a paper ply laminated to the board. Cracking is unsightly and can result in exposure of inner, off-color board plies. Where a paper ply of such strength that it will not crack or break even though improperly scored is employed, the cost of such ply makes its use highly undesirable. Still another disadvantage of improper scoring is that it results in knocked-down cartons which will not stack or feed properly into automatic cartoning machinery because some of the scores have been squeezed down while others still remain properly oriented. Thus the stack of cartons will either lean to one side or teeter back and forth.

It has been determined that a properly formed score is one in which the outer surface of the carton material has been so depressed that a bead is formed on the inner surface of the material. This bead in a proper score or crease is substantially symmetrical. It may result in a slight divergence of the plies which form the bead such that to the naked eye it appears that a small pinice hole running transversely of the bead is formed. In such a bead the inner plies of carton material have been so weakened that they have been caused to separate; this separation results in an air space between the plies within the sheet. A good score functions so that the stresses along the score line have been removed to a large extent. Stress removal results in-a lesser stress being applied to a laminated paper ply or the white or lightened portion of the paperboard commonly referred to as the linner during bending of the carton along its score lines. The requirement of relatively expensive paper or liner to absorb such stresses without cracking istherefore mitigated.

In order to form good scores or creases, the scores should always be formed at precisely the same locations on all carton blanks of a given run of blanks. With a fairly slight discrepancy in score line positions, containers which are to be assembled in'the same machine will have flaps which meant of alignment when folded. Proper scoring is aided, of course, by employment of correctly positioned, precisely aligned creasing rules or male die parts having smooth, well-formed creasing surfaces. In addition, the female die part must have elongated orifices or regions into which the creasing rule presses part of the container material, these orifices having been formed with sidewalls highly resistant to wear.

Many matrices which have been used in prior art methods of die cutting and creasing carton material have not been formed with elongated regions which have walls that are wear resistant throughout periods of extended use. Thus, in methods employing tympan paper, which is a highly compressed, impregnated paper located on a counterplate so that elongated grooves are formed between adjacent paper strips, the paper tends to wear down rapidly at the top portions of the walls which bound the elongated grooves. Once this erosion of the walls had begun, the entry of creasing rules into the elongated regions becomes less and less precise, and, even if a creasing rule does enter along precisely the same line, the pressure on the material being scored varies along successively outward lines as the female die part wears. Thus, scores formed in the last carton blank of a job in which a large quantity of carton blanks are formed will vary considerably as to position and regularity from the scores of the first blanks of that job.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present-invention to provide a makeready or female die part which functions to form scores in carton material in precisely the same location throughout a succession of many thousands and even millions of creasing operations.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a female die part which can be reproduced by conventional machine shop practice so that a plurality of "the dies can be formed and assembled 0n-a counterplate for simultaneous use.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a female die part which permits the formation of scores in carton material in which the stresses in the outer plies of the material are so relieved that the outer plies will not be subject to cracking or other impairments eve-n though the plies are composed of a relatively weak grade of cellulosic material.

A makeready according to the present invention comprises a relatively thin, unitary sheet of hard, wearresistant material, such as hardened spring steel. One surface of the sheet is substantially fiat so that it can easily be cemented to a back-up plate or counterplate and held in fixed relation to other makereadies thereon. A surface of the meakeready opposed to the surface to be cemented has substantially fiat portions which are separated by grooves precisely formed in that surface of the die. These grooves, which have their side walls formed from the hard material of which the makeready is composed, are highly resistant to the wear occasioned by the action of a creasing rule forcing carton material at least partially into the grooves.

It has been found preferable to keep the makeready or female die part as thin as possible so as to minimize the differences in heights between the simultaneous creasing and cutting operations which take place in the formation of a carton blank. Therefore, in a preferred form, the grooves which separate the substantially flat surface portions of the makeready extend through at least a major portion of the thickness of the makeready. Where the makeready is formed from hardened spring steel, a thickness of about .005 inch of material has been found suf ficient to form a plate which will withstand the pressures incurred in carton blank forming operations. Thus a typical spring steel makeready would have a maximum thickness of from .015 to .055 inch, of which only a .005 inch of material is present between the bottom of the grooves and the lower surface of the makeready.

In another form the invention comprises a unitary metal plate having grooves as defined hereinbefore, and in which edge portions are beveled so that they slope away from the spaced, flat portions of the opposed surface in the direction of the fiat surface to be cemented to the counterplate. These beveled areas are provided so that, after the creased carton blanks are formed by the metal makeready and the male die part, they can be moved horizontally from the makeready at a speed of 300 to 400 feet per minute. At such speeds there must be no resistance to horizontal movement of the blank such as might be incurred from burrs at the ends of the upper surface portions of the makeready.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when taken in connection with the following detailed description and the illustration of a preferred embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of makereadies according to a preferred embodiment of the invention in use as mounted on a counterplate;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of one of the makereadies of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view along line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, a plurality of makereadies or female die parts are illustrated in FIG. 1 in working position on the upper face 11 of a counterplate or back-up plate 12. Back-up plate 12 is relatively thick and heavy, generally being formed from a metal capable of withstanding the pressures directed against the plate 12 during operation of high-speed, carton blankforming equipment, and it is conventional in this art.

Each makeready 10 is cemented to the back-up plate 12. For this purpose it has been found advantageous to utilize thin sheets of paper between the makeready and the back-up plate. The makereadies are located apart from each other the minimum distance sufiicient to allow space for the flaps of carton blanks (not shown), which flaps are formed by the cutting rules of a male die part in conventional, carton blank-forming operations. Proper spacing of the makereadies 10 from one another permits such flaps to be formed with a minimum amount of waste in the form of unused carton material.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a makeready 10 has a lower surface 14 which is substantially flat so that it can easily be cemented or otherwise fixed to the upper face 11 of back-up plate 12. The upper surface of the makeready 10 is composed of substantially fiat surface portions 15 separated from each other by elongated vertical grooves 16 and horizontal grooves 17. The number, size and shape of surface portions 15 and grooves 16 and 17 are determined by the structure of the carton which is to be formed through the cooperation of the makeready 10 and a male die part, which has not been illustrated but may be selected from those now in use.

A makeready as illustrated is formed from a hard, wear-resistant material. Preferably the makeready is composed of a metal such as hardened spring steel; it may also be made of a hard, synthetic plastic. The makeready is unitary and is preferably flexible so that it can better withstand sudden shocks on the impact of a male die part.

Since the illustrated makeready 10 is formed in its en tirety from hard metal, the grooves 16 shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 3 have their bottoms 19 and side walls 20 formed from that inetal. Grooves 16 and 17 are squared. At the edges formed by the juncture of the side walls 20 and surface portions 15, the hard metal prevents the rapid deterioration of the edges, which are primary areas of wear during high-speed operation of the blankforming equipment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the height of the side walls of a groove is approximately three times the distance between the groove bottom 19 and the lower surface 14 of the makeready 10. In practice it has been found that, when hardened spring steel is used, about .005 inch minimum thickness of metal is required in a makeready which will be a unitary structure of satisfactory strength. The depth of a groove, which receives the creasing rule and carton material, will vary from about .010 to .050 inch, depending on the thickness of the material being processed. A makeready as thin as possible is highly desirable, bearing in mind the thickness of the carton material being processed, for then the cutting and creasing of carton-forming material can then take place in approximately the same plane.

The peripheral portions of the upper surface of the makeready 10 are beveled and extend from their adjoining surface portions 15 toward the lower surface 14 of the makeready. Beveled portions 21 will generally terminate at the lower surface 14 in an edge 22.

In its formation, a makeready composed of a hard metal, plastic or similar wear-resistant material will be machined to its final form from an initial sheet of metal. Extreme care must be practiced in machining the grooves 16 and 17, since any defects in groove structure will have immediate repercussions in the form of defective scores. Once a makeready has been machined to proper dimensions, normally within a tolerance of .001 inch, the finished makeready may have index holes 23 bored through the makeready and into a jig which underlies the makeready. Other sheets may then be shaped to reproduce precisely the form of the initial makeready by consecutively aligning the sheets on another jig by means of index holes 23. The sheets are bolted to the jig through bolt holes 24 and then machined to the same dimensions as the initial makeready through the use of the machine settings obtained from the first makeready. In this manner the first makeready can be accurately reproduced so that a multiplicity of identical makereadies, e.g., 18 or 24, can be positioned on a back-up plate for rapid carton blank production.

In use, makereadies according to the present invention will withstand wear to a far greater extent than the tympan female die parts now in general use. The present makereadies may easily be removed from the back-up plate after a job has been completed and retained for the next job requiring cart-on blanks of those dimensions. Other makereadies according to the invention can be fixed immediately to the back-up plate, so that little time is lost in setting up the equipment for a different blankforming operation.

While the present invention has been described with particular reference to a specific embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the embodiment, but that its scope is to be defined only by reference to the following, appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A makeready which acts as a female die part in the formation of an entire score-lined carton blank, comprising a thin unitary sheet of hard wear-resistant material having a lower surface suitable for attachment to a counterplate and an upper surface that is exposed when said sheet is attached to the counterplate, said upper surface being composed of a plurality of substantially flat surface portions corresponding in number and dimensions to panels of said carton blank, said surface portions being separated from each other by elongated score-forming grooves corresponding in number and position to score lines of said carton blank.

2. A makeready which acts as a female die part in the formation of an entire score-lined carton blank, comprising a thin unitary sheet of hard wear-resistant material having a lower surface suitable for attachment to a counterplate and an upper surface that is exposed when said sheet is attached to the counterplate, said upper surface being composed of a plurality of substantially flat surface portions corresponding in number and dimensions to panels of said carton blank, said surface portions being separated from each other by elongated scoreforming grooves corresponding in number and position to score lines of said carton blank and at least one of said surface portions having an index hole formed therein so that the makeready may be aligned on a jig to facilitate reproduction thereof.

3. A makeready which acts as a female die part in the formation of an entire score-lined carton blank, comprising a thin unitary sheet of hard wear-resistant material having a lower surface suitable for attachment to a counterplate and an upper surface that is exposed when said sheet is attached to the counterplate, said upper surface being composed of a plurality of substantially flat surface portions corresponding in number and dimensions to panels of said carton blank, said surface portions being separated from each other by elongated scoreforming grooves corresponding in number and position" to score lines of said carton blank and at least two of said surface portions having a bolt hole formed therein so that the makeready can be bolted to a jig during the reproduction thereof.

4. A makeready which acts as a female die part in the formation of an entire score-lined carton blank, comprising a thin unitary sheet of hard wear-resistant material having a lower surface suitable for attachment to a counterplate and an upper surface that is exposed when said sheet is attached to the counterplate, said upper surface being composed of a plurality of substantially flat surface portions corresponding in number and dimensions to panels of said carton blank, said surface portions being separated from each other by elongated score-forming grooves corresponding in number and position to score lines of said carton blank and separated from the periphery of said makeready by further elongated grooves disposed between said surface portions and substantially fiat peripheral surface portions having lesser surface areas than said first mentioned surface portions.

5. A makeready as claimed in claim 4, in which said peripheral surface portions are connected to the periphery of the makeready by beveled edge portions.

6. A makeready which acts as a female die part in the formation of an entire score-lined carton blank, comprising a thin unitary sheet of hard wear-resistant material having a lower surface suitable to an attachment to a counterplate and an upper surface that isexposed when said sheet is attached to the counterplate, said upper surface being composed of two rectangular relatively large surface portions joined by means of score-forming grooves to a rectangular relatively narrow surface portion and a further relatively narrow rectangular surface portion adjoining one of said relatively wide surface portions along an edge thereof opposite said first relatively narrow portion, each of said surface portions being separated from other of said surface portions by a straight groove having a depth extending from said upper surface to more than halfway toward said lower surface, said surface portions corresponding in number and dimensions to panels of said carton blank, said grooves corresponding in number and position to score lines of said carton blank.

7. A makeready which acts as a female die part in the formation of an entire score-lined carton blank, comprising a thin unitary sheet of spring steel having a lower surface suitable to an attachment to a counterplate and an upper surface that is exposed when said sheet is attached to the counterplate, said upper surface being composed of two rectangular relatively large surface portions joined by means of score-forming grooves to a rectangular relatively narrow surface portion and a further relatively narrow rectangular surface portion adjoining one of said relatively wide surface portions along an edge thereof opposite said first relatively narrow portion, each of said surface portions being separated from another of said surface portions by a straight groove having a depth extending from said upper surface to more than halfway in the direction of said lower surface, said grooves being disposed parallel to each other, said surface portions corresponding in number and dimensions to panels of said carton blank, said grooves corresponding in number and position to score lines of said carton blank, each of said surface portions being separated from the periphery of said makeready by a pair of further straight grooves on opposite sides of said sur face portions, said further grooves also corresponding in number and position to score lines of said carton blank.

8. A counterplate having affixed thereto a plurality of makereadies as claimed in claim 1, each of said makereadies being spaced from other of said makereadies.

9. The method of forming a multiple unit female die adapted for producing a corresponding multiplicity of score-lined carton blanks in a single press operation which comprises, grooving one surface of a thin unitary sheet of hard wear-resistant material with creasing ruile receiving grooves corresponding in number and position to the score lines of one of said carton blanks to constitute a makeready for a single carton blank unit, and utilizing said makeready as a guide for the reproduction of multiple units thereof for assembly with one another into a multiple unit female die operable in the press for simultaneously producing a corresponding multiplicity of carton blank units containing score lines of identical patterns.

10. The method of forming a multiple unit female die adapted for producing a corresponding multiplicity of score-lined carton blanks in a single press operation which comprises, grooving one surface of a thin unitary sheet of hard wear-resistant material with corresponding rule receiving grooves corresponding in number and position to the score lines of one of said carton blanks to constitute a makeready for a single carton blank unit, utilizing said makeready as a guide for the reproduction of multiple units thereof, and assembling said reproduced makeready units with one another into a multiple unit female die operable in the press for simultaneously producing a corresponding multiplicity of carton blank units containing score lines of identical patterns.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein the grooving of one surface of said sheet comprises milling said surface into rectangular grooves each having uniform depth and width of predetermined dimensions.

12. The method according to claim 9 wherein said utilizing of said makeready as a guide comprises afiixing the makeready to the jig of reproduction apparatus adapted for control by the jig supporting said makeready.

13. The invention according to claim 10 wherein the assembly of said multiple makereadies comprises fastening same to the surface of a counter plate of said press in coplanar relationship for coaction with a corresponding male die member mounted in said press.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 348,548 9/86 Crump 9358 1,080,759 12/ 13 Gruenberg 9358 2,682,208 6/54 Monroe et a1 93-58.2 X 2,765,? 16 10/56 -Andersson 9358 FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

10 BERNARD STICKNEY, Examiner. 

1. A MAKEREADY WHICH ACTS AS A FEMALE DIE PART IN THE FORMATION OF AN ENTIRE SCORE-LINED CARTON BLANK, COMPRISING A THIN UNITARY SHEET OF HARD WEAR-RESISTANT MATERIAL HAVING A LOWER SURFACE SUITABLE FOR ATTACHMENT TO A COUNTERPLATE AND AN UPPER SURFACE THAT IS EXPOSED WHEN SAID SHEET IS ATTACHED TO THE COUNTERPLATE, SAID UPPER SURFACE BEING COMPOSED OF A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACE PORTIONS CORRESPONDING IN NUMBER AND DIMENSIONS TO PANELS OF SAID CARTON BLANK, SAID SURFACE PORTIONS BEING SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY ELONGATED SCORE-FORMING GROOVES CORRESPONDING IN NUMBER AND POSITION TO SCORE LINES OF SAID CARTON BLANK. 